Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a dental apparatus and method of utilizing the same. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a dental apparatus and method of use of the dental apparatus utilizing a low intensity excitation light having a first frequency or intensity to detect when the dental apparatus is placed in a mouth of a user and a high intensity excitation light which may have a second frequency to detect dental plaque, or treat a dental condition.
Description of Related Art
Caries or periodontal diseases are thought to be infectious diseases caused by bacteria present in dental plaques. Removal of dental plaques is highly important for the health of oral cavities. Dental plaques, however, are not easy to identify by the naked eye. A variety of plaque detection apparatuses have been produced to aid in the detection of dental plaque and/or caries.
Most of the dental plaque detection apparatuses are configured for use by trained professionals and make use of the fact that the visible luminescence spectra from dental plaque (and/or caries) and non-decayed regions of a tooth are substantially different. Some dental plaque detection apparatuses are configured for use by consumers (whom are, typically, not trained dental professionals) in their own homes in helping consumers achieve good oral hygiene.
For example, one known type of dental plaque apparatus utilizes irradiated light to illuminate tooth material and gums to identify areas infected by biofilms and areas of dental plaque. This type of plaque detection apparatus may utilize a monochromatic excitation light and may be configured to detect fluorescent light in 2 bands 440-470 nm (e.g., blue light) and 560-640 nm (e.g., red light); the intensities are subtracted to reveal the dental plaque and/or caries regions.
While the aforementioned dental plaque apparatus are suitable for their intended use, they exhibit one or more shortcomings. Specifically, it is known that each area of the eye absorbs different wavelengths of light and, if too much light is absorbed by the eye, the eye may be damaged; this damage can occur even with extremely short exposure, although longer exposures create a greater the risk of eye tissue damage. The thresholds of the damages that can ensue from light energy may depend on one or more characteristics associated with the light, e.g., wavelength, spot size and pulse length of the light. Careful consideration of these properties of light need to be taken into consideration to assess the safety of the light being utilized to detect dental plaque and/or caries.
With respect to the wavelength of light, for example, the hazard potential of a near-infrared light could be considered from two perspectives: eye hazards and skin hazards. Specifically, since the eye produces focused light on the retina, the effect of focused light that may be generated by dental plaque apparatus during operation thereof may be greater than non-focused light, thus increasing the risk of injury. Further, because infrared light (e.g., red light) is not registered by the eye, the pupil of the eye would not close to protect the retina from focused light that may be generated by dental plaque apparatus during operation thereof; this is the same affect as with ultraviolet light, which causes “snow blindness.” In addition, eyelids are, typically, thin and not able to protect the eye from the penetration of ultraviolet light (e.g., blue light); excessive ultraviolet exposure damages the cornea and the retina.
As can be appreciated, to avoid possible eye injury, it is imperative that a user not switch on the plaque detection apparatus until the plaque detection apparatus is appropriately placed inside the mouth. The aforementioned devices, however, are not configured to automatically detect when the plaque detection apparatus are placed inside the mouth. As a result thereof, potentially harmful radiation that could damage the eyes, or cause uncomfortable glare if exposed to the eyes, may result if proper handling precautions are not followed, e.g., consumer misuse.